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July 14, 2006

DVD pirate to be deported to Ghana

A New York man convicted for selling pirated DVDs and CDs on two occasions at a Providence flea market was sentenced this week to a 5-year suspended jail term and probation, the Rhode Island Attorney General announced today.

State police first raided a flea market at 500 Valley St. in September and arrested Sidikiba Magassouba, 47, of 2041 Fifth Ave., New York City. They raided that flea market again two weeks ago.

Magassouba pleaded no contest this week to one count of pirating DVDs and CDs and one count of selling or offering to sell forged or counterfeit DVDs and CDs, according to the office of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.

He is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and face deportation to Ghana, according to the Attorney General’s office.

In the first raid, on Sept. 18, state police, working with investigators from the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America, seized 1,216 pirated DVD movies and 185 pirated music CDs, according to the Attorney General’s office.

Then in the second raid, on July 3, the state police seized nearly 1,900 more pirated DVDs and 200 more pirated CDs from Magassouba, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The Recording Industry Association of America recently identified Providence as one of 12 domestic “hot spots” of music theft.

Posted by Kate Bramson  at 2:04 PM | Permalink

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